Mahalaxmi Diwali Puja- Sindhi way

Keep your house clean and draw a rangoli at your doorstep to welcome Goddess Laxmi.

For the best time for puja, a pandit could be consulted.

You will require:

Some silver and gold coins.

10 Suparis

Some uncooked Rice

5 paan leaves

A coconut

Water in the ‘lota’. May add Ganga water if you have.

Kumkum for applying tilak

Gulaal (holi colour)

Mithaai (Indian sweets)

Agarbattis (insence sticks)

Diya

Camphor

On a new piece of cloth, make mounds of rice and place suparis on top. The suparis stand for the planets. Either keep another supari for Ganesh, or a Ganesh icon.

Fill the Lota with water, adorn paan leaves around the lota .Place a coconut on top of the lota.

Dress the lota with a red cloth and tie a red string around it. On the lota draw with kumkum four lines representing the Vedas. A Swastika moving clockwise with 4 tikas. Light the agarbattis and the diyas.

On a thaali place the silver and golden coins. These represent ‘wealth’ or Mother Laxmi.

Take some water on your left hand and sprinkle water on to yourself after washing and purifying your hands.

Place a flower on your palm with some rice.

Chant the Gayatri Mantra 3 times (optional).

Now first visualise Lord Ganesh. Welcome Him to your puja. Chant a Ganesh Mantra. If you are not very good at remembering mantras, let me make it easier for you. Say: Om Ganeshaya Namah or I bow to you Lord Ganesh

Pray to Shivji the same way. Say: Om Namah Shivaya

For the more enthusiastic ones, please refer to ‘Mantras and Prayers’ for more mantras / prayers for Ganesh or Shivji.

Sprinkle water on the lota, apply kum kum, shower rice, offer a mithaai and fruit and accord the same treatment that you would to an esteemed guest. The water in the lota stands for all the sacred rivers.

Follow the same procedure with the 9 planets and the 4 directions. Sprinkle water towards the North, South, East and West. These are the 4 ‘dishaas’ of the world or the Universe.

Then bathe the silver and gold coins with milk, water, gulaal, flowers and offer the mithaai. It is said if you make the coins jingle, it would attract Laxmi Ma to come to you.

Visualise MahaLaxmi and say: Om Shreem MahaLakshmaye Namah

Now you are ready for the Aarti. Light the Aarti diya. Light camphor. Sing the aarti to the tune of ‘Om Jai Jagdeesh hare’ along with the accompaniment of the jingle of the bell. (You will find the words of the Aarti at the end of this note)

Then place the thaali in your safe for 3 days.

Do the above with faith and devotion and don’t worry too much if you do not do it very correctly.

Say ‘Haraye Namaha‘ 3 times. That takes care of all the mistakes that you may have committed knowingly or unknowingly during the ritual.